The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft sensing and/or display systems. The present disclosure more specifically relates to an apparatus for and method of adjusting at least one parameter associated with displaying an image from a vision system, such as an enhanced vision system.
Displays are used in various applications. For example, avionic and other vehicular systems use head down display (HDD) systems, head up display (HUD) systems including but not limited to wearable displays, such as, helmet mounted display (HMD) systems. In aircraft applications, HUD and HDD systems advantageously display information from aircraft systems and sensors in a graphical and alphanumeric format. The display information can include an enhanced vision image from a vision system (e.g., camera or other imaging sensor (such as a visible light imaging sensor, infrared imaging sensor, millimeter wave radar imager, or combinations thereof)).
Vision systems, such as enhanced flight vision systems (EFVSs), are often utilized by pilots in high workload situations, such as during the final stages of approach and landing. The vision system is used to view the runway or helipad often in very demanding low visibility conditions. Infrared cameras and light sensors used by conventional enhanced vision systems can have a limited ability to penetrate certain challenging low visibility conditions when not tuned properly for the conditions. This limited ability is often exacerbated because pilots have very little time to tune the enhanced vision system for maximum performance in the conditions once they become aware of the conditions at the airport.
In conventional systems, the pilots may have to set mode switches for day or night visible flight rules conditions and low visibility conditions. However, these modes do not distinguish between the wide variety of conditions that the environment can present and are therefore less precise and less useful for camera optimization. Further, the mode switches have to be manually set by the pilot during high workload periods in the cockpit.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems for and methods of automatically adjusting at least one camera in a vision system for environmental conditions. There is still a further need for systems for and methods of adjusting vision systems for a wide variety of weather, light, and/or runway light and surface conditions. Yet further, there is a need for adjusting display systems and/or vision systems, such as, enhanced vision systems, in accordance with a weather report available in the cockpit. Still further, there is a need for a system that automatically adjusts a vision system in response to a weather report. Yet still further, there is a need to automatically increase the effectiveness of an image provided by a vision system using information associated with an environment.
It would be desirable to provide a system and/or method that provides one or more of these or other advantageous features. Other features and advantages will be made apparent from the present specification. The teachings disclosed extend to those embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the aforementioned needs.